This is why it's generally a bad idea to even mention stuff like this. Every tire manufacturer in the entire world has been putting air in tires for a hundred years. Someone starts experimenting with using nitrogen instead of plain old air and claims some sort of benefit. All of a sudden people start jumping up and down asking about how much will plain air hurt their tires?

 

Then let me rephrase the question, how much gain will nitrogren give me vs air. Is it a noticable difference or a statistical diff?

 

MN local news had a special on it a few nights ago:

http://wcco.com/consumer/local_story_017235230.html

 

good article my guess is 4 or 5 years and everyone will have the equipment to fill em with nitrogen

 

it's dry and stable and won't lose pressure in cold temps or gain in high temps-

 

Nitrogen has been used in racing tires for years. It does not expand when the temp changes like air does. It is inert and more stable than air for extreme applications.

 

Aircraft and automobiles are so different that comparison is not realistic. The atmosphere has moisture in it. When they mount the tire and add as much dry nitrogen you still have moisture. Nitrogen is the smaller mole and more apt to leak if you can see the difference you’re my hero. I am sure real applications exist however I believe this is a poor attempt to add value to the dollars you spent. If there is a real reason that you will pay for please let me know I am always looking for new markets for my products.

 

As a manager at COSTCO, here is the explanation.

Nitrogen is used to fill tires at COSTCO because it does not expand due to differences in temperature and it losses less pressure over time as compared to air.

Nitrogen is not explosive so there is no need to worry about that.

They do not have tanks of nitrogen in the tire shop. There is a machine that extracts the nitrogen from compressed air and stores it in a seperate tank. There are not trucks bringing it in. The only expense involved with using nitrogen at COSTCO is replacing the filters every so often. Also the cost of installing a few heavy duty water seperators.

As far as adding air to nitrogen thats when it might become a problem. For those of you who airdown frequently, I would not suggest it. When adding air to your nitrogen filled tires it will cause condensation to form. If there is a large air to nitrogen mix, there could be an imbalance situation because of the condesation forming.

Now, to the post regarding buying 2 tires and only mounting them on the back. This is absolutely true. Michelin, who is also BFG, has done many tests that prove that when 2 tires of different tread wear are placed on a vehicle, the newest tread should be placed on the rear. The better grip in the rear will help to keep the vehicle straighter in an emergency situation. They are not just trying to sell you 4 tires. It is for your safety.

I hope this helps clear up any confussion or myths regarding COSTCO policy or procedures.

Here is a link that I found to further explain it.

http://www.tirelast.com/id15.html

Thanks,
Mitch

 

well said racer and thanks for the info